Soundproofing

Hat channel ceilings that quiet the room

Footsteps, a television, or voices pass straight through drywall that is screwed to the joists. We take that board down and build the ceiling back in layers. The new drywall hangs from hat channel, not from the wood.

  • Rockwool
  • Knauf Performance+ (optional)
  • Insulation clips
  • Hat channel
  • Sonopan (optional add-on)
  • New drywall
Get a free estimate (301) 379-2430
Hat channel and new Rockwool on an open ceiling
Hat channel and new Rockwool, before the ceiling is closed.

When it helps

Why people soundproof a room

People call because a neighbor is loud, the walls between bedrooms are thin, a studio or office sits in the house, or footsteps come through the floor above. The noise gets into the room and starts to run the day. Sleep gets lighter. Work gets harder. That is when this work helps.

A noisy neighbor

A television, music, or voices come through a shared wall or the ceiling under the floor above. We take that surface apart and build it back so less sound gets through.

Thin walls between bedrooms

You can follow a conversation or a movie from the next room. Rockwool and new drywall close a lot of that. Hat channel goes on when the wall still needs more separation.

A studio or office at home

Practice, calls, or recording need their own room. The same layers keep that room quieter, and keep the rest of the house from coming through.

A basement you want to rent

A neighbor is moving into the basement, and you still live upstairs. We soundproof the ceiling between you so their day-to-day noise does not come straight through.

How the ceiling is built

One layer at a time

These photos are from a ceiling we rebuilt with this system. Knauf Performance+ is optional. Sonopan is an optional add-on. The same layers go on a wall when the noise is coming from the next room. If you only need a patch or a new wall, that work is on our drywall page.

01

The old drywall comes off

The drywall comes down first, and the old insulation comes out with it. The joists and the wiring are in the open before anything new goes up.

Open ceiling joists after the drywall and old insulation were removed
Drywall and old insulation out.
02

Rockwool and insulation clips

New Rockwool fills the space between the joists. Insulation clips fasten to the wood. The hat channel attaches to the clips.

New Rockwool and insulation clips on open ceiling joists
New Rockwool insulation goes up, with insulation clips on the wood.
03

Optional Knauf, then hat channel

Knauf Performance+ is optional. We add that fiberglass layer when you want a second insulation with the Rockwool. Hat channel then locks to the clips and runs across the ceiling. The new drywall will be screwed into the channel, creating a barrier between the wood and the room below.

Optional Knauf Performance+ and hat channel on an open ceiling
Optional Knauf Performance+ insulation goes up, and the hat channel is installed.
04

Sonopan is an optional add-on

Sonopan is a dense soundboard. It is an optional layer when you want the room quieter. It goes on the hat channel, under the drywall. You can skip it. We can talk it through after we see the room.

Crew hanging green Sonopan soundboard over hat channel and insulation
Optional Sonopan going up over the hat channel.
05

New drywall and new lights

We hang the drywall, tape the joints, and install the lights. A new ceiling is a good time to move the lights or change the layout. We can also put your old lights back. The ceiling is sanded smooth and ready for paint. We can paint it on the same job if you want that done too.

New drywall and new lights on a finished soundproof ceiling
New drywall and new lights. The ceiling is sanded and ready for paint.

What to expect

What you should hear

Talking drops into the background of the room. Footsteps turn into a distant thud but do not vanish. Hard wood flooring upstairs carries more than carpet. Once we look at your ceiling, we can talk about what we expect to hear.

Noise At the source Heard before Heard after What you hear
Talking About 65 dB 35-40 dB 10-15 dB Quiet enough to disappear into the normal sound of the room.
Walking About 60 dB 50-60 dB 25-30 dB A dull, distant thud. Most of the vibration was gone.

Before we start

A clear price, then the work

We walk the room first

We look at the ceiling or the wall, measure it, and tell you what we found. The estimate is free.

The price stays locked

You get a written price for the agreed scope before we open anything up. That price stays locked.

We clean up when we leave

The room is open while the layers go in. We cover the floors, and we clean up before we are done for the day. We are licensed and insured.

We do this work from Silver Spring, across Montgomery County, Prince George's County, and Northern Virginia. That includes Bethesda, Rockville, Potomac, Hyattsville, Bowie, and College Park.

Related Services

Drywall taped and finished above a staircase

Drywall

Patches, new walls, and matching texture
Interior room after painting

Painting

Interior and exterior finishes
Recessed lighting installed in a living room

Electrical

Panels, outlets, and lighting

Soundproofing questions

The hat channel is a metal strip that connects to insulation clips. They have rubber cushions to dampen vibrations and hold it off the joists, and the new drywall hangs from the channel. Since the board is not screwed into the wood, sound has a harder time crossing.

That is the usual reason people call. Walking that came through at 50 to 60 dB came down to 25 to 30 dB. What is left is a dull, distant thud. Talking that came through at 35 to 40 dB came down to 10 to 15 dB, low enough that the room covers it. A bare floor overhead carries more than carpet. We will tell you what we expect in your house after we see the ceiling.

We can build a wall the same way. On some walls the hat channel is not needed. Rockwool, Sonopan, and new drywall help a lot on their own. We will look at the wall and tell you which way to go.

Normal talking is about 65 dB. Through an old ceiling you can still follow it at 35 to 40 dB. After this work it was 10 to 15 dB, low enough that the room covers it. Footsteps are about 60 dB where the person is walking, and often 50 to 60 dB in the room below. After, they were 25 to 30 dB. You still hear a dull thud. The sharp step is gone. Your house will not hit those numbers exactly. Hardwood overhead carries more than carpet, and holes for lights and ducts let more through. Knauf and Sonopan change it again if you add them. We will tell you what we expect after we look.

A 14 by 14 foot ceiling usually takes about 2 days. We recently soundproofed the ceilings in a 1,000 square foot place with two bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, and a bathroom. That took about a week and a half. It takes longer if you want new lights or other work in the same visit. A new ceiling is a good time to move the lights or change the layout. We can also put your old lights back where they were.

Yes. We can leave the drywall ready for paint, or paint it ourselves on the same job.

Want the ceiling quieter?

Tell us which room it is. We will come look at it and give you a written price before we start.

Get a free estimate (301) 379-2430